31 Facts About Kaka Bag-ao

Arlene "Kaka" Javellana Bag-ao was born on July 3,1969 and is a Filipino human rights lawyer and agrarian reform advocate who served as Governor of the Dinagat Islands from 2019 to 2022.

Kaka Bag-ao has been dubbed as the 'Dragon Slayer' after consecutively defeating two of the most prominent members of the influential Ecleo political dynasty of the Dinagat Islands.

Kaka Bag-ao then took her secondary education at Southeastern College in Pasay.

Kaka Bag-ao earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the De La Salle University in 1989, and her Juris Doctor degree from the Ateneo Law School of the Ateneo de Manila University in 1993, where she became a Judge de Veyra Scholarship Awardee and an Ateneo School of Law Scholarship Awardee.

Kaka Bag-ao is one of the founders and the former Executive Director of BALAOD Mindanaw, a law group based in Mindanao working for the advancement and protection of the rights of farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous peoples and women's and other marginalized groups through the creative and developmental use of the law.

Kaka Bag-ao provides paralegal training and legal clinics to grassroots organizations and has won cases with them.

Kaka Bag-ao is a member of the independent secretariat to the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Revolutionary Worker's Party of Mindanao that facilitated the signing of the agreement on the cessation of hostilities and the agreement to integrate community consultations as an essential component of the peace process.

In 2004, Kaka Bag-ao was asked to become the special consultant to the Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform and facilitated the awarding of numerous land titles to farmer-beneficiaries.

Kaka Bag-ao was the lead counsel in the Sumilao Farmers' case, a case of indigenous farmers who walked for 1,700 kilometers from Bukidnon to Manila to claim rights to their lands under agrarian reform against one of the biggest corporations in the Philippines.

On 30 June 2010, Kaka Bag-ao was sworn in as the second representative of Akbayan Party in the 15th Philippine Congress.

Kaka Bag-ao was a principal author of Republic Act 10354 or the Reproductive Health Law.

Kaka Bag-ao was the principal author of House Bill 6545 or the National Land Use Bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives.

Kaka Bag-ao was the vice-chairperson of the House Committee on Agrarian Reform.

Kaka Bag-ao is one of the champions of Kaya Natin, a nongovernment organization founded by the late Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo that advocates good governance and ethical leadership.

Kaka Bag-ao is one of only two women public prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In just three months, Kaka Bag-ao was able to roll-out the following development programs and projects:.

At the May 2013 general elections, Kaka Bag-ao was elected representative of the Lone District of Dinagat Islands, edging out Dinagat municipal mayor Gwendolyn Ecleo with 3,248 votes.

Kaka Bag-ao was dubbed as a 'Dragon Slayer' for defeating a political behemoth in her province.

Kaka Bag-ao was the principal author of several legislative measures, such as the proposed National Land Use Act, the People's Freedom of Information Act, the Anti-Discrimination Bill, and the Agrarian Reform Commission Bill.

Kaka Bag-ao is one of its principal authors in the House of Representatives through House Bill No 109.

Kaka Bag-ao was again lauded as a 'Dragon Slayer' for defeating the two most prominent members of the Ecleo political dynasty in the province.

Kaka Bag-ao pushed for the Anti-Discrimination Bill to be passed into law in the House of Representatives.

Kaka Bag-ao was the pioneer of the Equality Champions Coalition in Congress, along with Senator Risa Hontiveros.

In March 2017, Kaka Bag-ao voted against the re-imposition of the death penalty in the Philippines.

Kaka Bag-ao later said that she voted "no" because of her principle and her belief that the death penalty is always inhumane and wrong.

In September 2017, Kaka Bag-ao voted against a House budget ruling that gave one thousand pesos for the 2018 budget of the Commission on Human Rights.

Kaka Bag-ao was one of the only 32 lawmakers to vote against the budget.

Kaka Bag-ao was the vice-chairperson of the House Committees on Ecology, Labor and Employment, and Population and Family Relations.

Kaka Bag-ao had influential political powers on the Committees on Women and Gender Equality, Natural Resources, Mindanao Affairs, Human Rights, Justice, and Constitutional Amendments, among many others.

Kaka Bag-ao argued that many of the allegations being thrown at the Chief Justice were not sufficient and not even grounds for impeachment.

On May 13,2019, Kaka Bag-ao was elected governor in the 2019 general election.